Staring Down the Barrel of 2023, by Josh Stallings

Do you have any New Year's resolutions as a writer, and what are your plans for 2023?

In the last three or four years it has felt like surviving with my mind and body intact was enough to ask for, anything else was a bonus. Staring down the barrel of 2023 I am ready to raise the bar. Writing wise, I aim to finish my new novel…

Okay, I wrote that last night, trying for positivity. Today truth is taking over. Writing is for me a wonderful avocation but with the down turn in the world economy and the rising prices of everything I question wether I can afford to spend my days typing. This is not a poor me post. Just the real facts. Over a year writing a follow up to Tricky and then a year of very near misses at some great publishers, the time I spent writing that book mapping a sequel to a book we didn’t sell, left me stinging. Added to this was time spent being present for my son’s, has left me wondering how long I will keep typing on a new stand alone MS I may never finish. 

I am sorry this isn’t the upbeat opening of a new year post I was hoping to write. I’ll try again…

My resolutions for 2023 - To keep my head above water. To be kind and loving to all I meet along the road. To be grateful for the gift of writing. To be grateful for so many great writers who are my friends. To be grateful for my wonderful friends regardless of their avocations. To be grateful for my love of reading. To be grateful for walking in the hills with Buster and Ernie. To be grateful for time spent with my family. To be grateful…

To be grateful. That says it all. 

When times feel impossibly difficult, gratitude is the active form of hope. “I hope things with get better.” feels like it has an invisible question mark. “I am grateful.” is a statement. I am grateful speaks to my past, present and therefore my future.

Every one of you reading this, know that I am grateful you are in the world.

Happy New Year.